The guideline that I followed while designing this framework for curricula was to keep it as simple as possible. Previous iterations of this framework had vast amounts of complexity in order to “perfectly” deal with the vast amount of information that comes with lifelong learning.

From a drafting board to Autocad, from a legal pad to a tablet, from eight-track tapes to downloads, my 40-year career spanned the information age from beginning to end. As monumental as those changes have been, my granddaughter may see an order of magnitude more change in her life.

Today, students have more homework than the generations of students before them. They also have plenty of distractions in and out of the classroom like social media, social media marketers , online gaming and online streaming. With countless distractions and piling assignments, holding students’ attention in the classroom can be challenging.

The word “genius” is one of the most misused terms in history. While it’s often referenced accurately, the connotation that we commonly associate with it diverges away from the truth. We correctly label intellectual brilliance and creative power as genius - and we should - but it’s about time we stopped assuming that those things arise from talent or inborn giftedness alone.